1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a continuous sheet-printing device for printing continuous sheet and a system, method and storage medium storing a program thereof, and more particularly relates to a continuous sheet-printing device and system which can continue printing operations even when generation of image data is slower than a printing speed, methods for controlling these, and storage mediums storing programs therefor.
2. Related Art
With printing devices such as continuous sheet-printing devices and the like, due to increases in resolution and complexity of print jobs in recent years, cases may occur in which imaging processing for preparing bitmap data from a print job does not keep up with a printing speed of an IOT (an image output terminal; i.e., an output section which forms an image and outputs the same onto sheet).
Commonly, in order to assure printing quality, a printing device requires a preparation time before printing commences, until various devices structuring the IOT of the printing device have reached regular states. During printing operations, if printing temporarily stops for whatever reason, this preparation procedure is required again, printing productivity is lowered, and a greater burden is applied to the machinery. The faster and bigger the printer, the greater such effects are. In particular, in a color continuous sheet-printing device which conveys continuous sheet with a pinless conveyance mechanism for printing, it is necessary to carry out color registration adjustment after a continuous sheet position has been stabilized. There are also devices in which it is necessary to convey sheet by tens of meters during the preparation procedure.
There are continuous sheet-printing devices which employ structures such that a large-capacity buffer is provided between a processor which performs image processing and the IOT, speed variations are absorbed, and stoppages during printing are prevented. However, designing in this manner with an excess in capability (that is, providing the large-volume buffer) in order to absorb speed variations leads to a great increase in costs. Therefore, a printing device which will be capable of continuing without stopping printing operations during printing, regardless of the volume of a buffer, has been desired.